Creating Bitter Sweet Memories
by YoungestCullen8
Summary: Takes place at the same time as Junsu's: Junho is in France while his brother is suffering but he's not immune. Trying to do his work and get home as soon as possible leads to an accident in the kitchen that postpones his trip home. Luckily Francesco DeArgint is able to save the day by recruiting his friend and helping as well. But Junsu is the only thing on his mind, not romance.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:** This is Junho's story. It takes place at the same time as Junsu's. He's not in his brother's story, but Junsu is in his in the middle to ending. You'll get your insane twins towards the end so be patient. And as usual, COMMENT!

 **(*(*(*(*(*(*(*(*(*(***

Junho stared out the window of his fifth story flat in Paris, France. He hated being here when his brother was suffering. He didn't need to be in the same room or country even to know what Junsu was feeling. His heart ached and that told him that his twin wasn't holding up well.

He had planned his trip to France months in advance. Every few years he came back to brush up on his pastier skills. Sometimes he found new things he wanted try. Other times he just did it to network, but every time he came away with something.

This time he had left Korea with a new family. He and his brother had become friends with the members of F4. It had been purely by chance because the woman who they had both befriended just happened to be the wife of Song Woo Bin. Through her, they had stepped into the life of luxury and friendship simply by refusing to leave. Junsu was more of a pest than he was. He simply followed to keep his brother in line, but most of the time it ended in them arguing.

Since the night of Song Construction's party, they had been firmly cemented in the family. It had bolstered the life of their bakery. People came from all over to sample their breads and pastries. Junho had had to quit working with Hoon to keep up with all the orders coming in. Even Junsu split his time between Dragon Café and the bakery to help keep things in line.

But things had gone terribly wrong right before he had left. They had been working on a tough day. Over a hundred orders had come in and he was behind on every one. Junsu had started waiting tables out in the lobby. He had the easy job because some people were just there to drink coffee or tea or whatever and eat pastries.

They were just starting to get caught up with the orders when a man came in for his wife's birthday cake. His family was waiting outside for him in the cool autumn weather and his children were playing on the sidewalk. He was so excited because they were going to his in-laws for a small birthday get together.

Junsu suddenly bolted out the door, surprising everyone. Not even a second later, they heard a horrible crash and a scream. The bakery cleared out immediately as everyone went out to see what had happened. Junsu was sitting in the crosswalk with a little girl draped over his lap, blood pooling his around his knees. The girl's mother sat beside him holding her hand as Junsu pressed his apron to her head to stop the bleeding. But there was too much blood. The man who had come in for the birthday cake was her father. He and his wife were beside her as she let out her last breath.

Something inside Junsu had shattered as that little girl died in his arms. He had gone into the back of the bakery and had just watched the red water run clean again. He hadn't said anything, even when Junho had forcibly taken his apron and shirt off. There had been a dead look in his eye, like he had just given up.

Since that day, Junsu had been having nightmares. They hadn't slept in the same bed since they were in middle school but his brother would wake up screaming in the middle of the night. Nothing he did alleviated them so they had started sleeping together to ease his tortured mind. Even going to church like they did every Sunday didn't ease him.

His trip had been coming up quickly and he hadn't wanted to leave Junsu. But his brother wasn't going to let him miss his trip he had planned extensively for. He had flown out for France with a heavy heart because he was leaving his suffering brother. He had texted him a few times, but school was back in session and Junsu was working two jobs plus doing odd jobs for So Yi Jeong when he needed them. He always told him he was doing well even though Junho knew better than to believe that.

But he'd had his things he had to do so he couldn't spend every waking moment thinking about his brother. He had to go to classes and taste testing's and so many other things that went along with everything. He had to network with some other Korean pastry chefs. He talked to so many others about the types of coffee they sold in their shops. Everything he did went back to his work in Korea. He wanted everything to be the best.

To keep his mind off things at home, he pulled all the things he was going to need to make éclairs. Considering the French were the first ones to create the pastry, it had been his first one he learned to make. Now he wanted one for no reason. Well that wasn't true. They were Junsu's favorites. Pair it with a chicory coffee that he could only get in New Orleans and he was at home, even though chicory coffee was normally served with beignets.

He was covered in flour when there was a knock at his door. He only knew a few people here so who would come to see him this early? He didn't usually go outside until it was about dinner time. Setting his dry ingredients aside he went to answer the door.

On the other side was a person identical to Eri, only this person was male. He had the same dark hair and the same golden eyes. He was just a little bit taller than her, but there was no doubt in his mind this was Francesco DeArgint. If the face wasn't a giveaway, the smell of paint and clay was. Some things never changed.

"Come on in," he said. He used Korean because he knew Francesco was fluent since his father was a Korean national.

Francesco walked into the small place and looked around. Junho hated when people did that. So he was rich and Junho was lower on the totem pole. None of it mattered. To hide his anger, he went back to work.

"I figured you hadn't eaten yet so I brought food," Francesco said as he walked over to the breakfast bar and set something on it.

"I usually don't eat until later," he replied as he mixed his ingredients into one bowl.

"That's because you've adapted too quickly. It's way too easy to get off on your normal schedule when you're in a new country."

"I've been to France before. I know how everyone is."

"Trust me. You'll want to eat."

Junho frowned at him. Was he always this pushy? Or was it a special occasion because he was coming to his sister's friend's house? Whatever the reason, Junho didn't like it.

Just then his phone rang. Using his clean pinky, he swiped right and answered. "Hello?" He hadn't bothered checking caller ID.

"Hey, Junho, it's me."

He stared at the phone. "Eri? Since when do you call?"

"Since I got my hearing aids back. Is my brother beside you?"

Junho looked up at Francesco. So this was the reason he had come by. He had known Eri was going to call him. "What did he do?"

He could imagine the face she was making on other end. "He didn't do anything. I told him to find you and wait for my call."

He really didn't like that. Since he had been in France, Eri had only called him once. And that was simply to ask if he had made it and when he was coming home. Obviously Junsu hadn't told her he was leaving.

"He's here."

"Good. Junsu isn't doing well. He's been sleeping on my couch for the past week. I woke him up from a nightmare just this morning. I was working all night and he caught my attention with his tossing and turning. Is there anything that will ease him?"

So Junsu was having a harder time than he let on. He wasn't the type to tell when something was bothering him. He liked to suffer in silence until it ate at him. But Junho had always been the one to pull him out of it. Now that he was three thousand miles away, no one could do it.

"Does he listen to you?" he asked without thinking.

"Sometimes. Since he's been at our house, he's fine when he's with the kids, but the second they go to bed he's lost. I've been staying up to make sure he's not going to do something stupid. So far all he does is wake up in a cold sweat."

"Where is he now?"

"He's doing the books and inventory at the bakery. I'm going to stay with him there because he's just not in a good state of mind. Trauma takes forms in many different ways. I should know."

She was the best one to take care of him, but something bothered him. "I heard there is another issue you're dealing with. How is that?"

"Don't worry about it. Woo Bin is taking care of it. Unfortunately, that might mean that I'll need to learn business tactics. I don't want to learn business tactics, but if I do I have some really good teachers. Just hurry back. I may have to send him to you in a box if you don't."

"I'll do the best I can, Eri, but I'm here for business. It may take a little while."

"I'm not rushing you. Well I am, but I'm just worried. Normally I wouldn't call, but you have that freaky twin thing going on and it'd be stupid not to check in on you too."

Junho felt loved and weighted at the same time. Weighted because she didn't know how to handle Junsu, and loved because she was calling to check on him as well. She knew what bothered Junsu bothered him and she wanted to make sure he wasn't suffering because they were separated. Her voice was emotionless but he didn't need the feelings behind the voice to understand what she wanted to convey.

"I'm fine, Eri," he said as he put the pastries in the oven.

"You know what they say about being fine," Francesco muttered.

Junho gave him a dirty look then leaned against the counter. "Let me know if there's anything you don't understand. Junsu can be a little hard to talk to when he gets something in his head. That girl's death has been in his head a lot lately."

"Don't I know it. I'll take care of him until either you get back or he finds a girlfriend. I'm kind of hoping on the latter."

He laughed when he realized she was mirroring everything he thought. If Junsu would find a girl, he would be okay. But in Junsu's mind no one would match up to Eri. She was the first woman who had appealed to him in more than ten years and it would hard to knock her out of his heart. If she was taking care of him right now, it was going to be near impossible.

"Eri…" he tried to warn, but she cut him off.

"I know, Juni, I know. Take care." She hung up without saying another word, and that worried him. Eri wasn't the type to cast anyone aside unless they lie or do something that harms her family. Junsu would never do that so it was going to be hard to get him to find someone else.

"She knows what's she's doing," Francesco said. Junho looked at him. "Since we were kids, Eri has always been a defender and caretaker. Even though I was older and bigger, she was always the one who took care of me even at the expense of her reputation. She doesn't care about herself. She'd let some guy beat on her if it meant protecting a friend. "

"Junsu is the same way." Junho rubbed his face. He was suddenly tired. "I don't know what to do."

"Trust her. Trust them. Your brother will be all right by the time you get home. He may not be fully recovered but at least he will be able to concentrate on something healthy."

"Do all of you DeArgints look on the bright side?"

"No, just the children. I'll make dinner. You finish your pastries."

Junho watched briefly as he started in on the pasta. He pulled the pasties out of the oven and set to frosting them then put them in the fridge to set. By that time, dinner was ready and they sat down together to eat.


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: I made breakfast for my dad this morning and I decided that I was going to try a fried egg. Well, I'm under the firm decision that eggs are an acquired taste and I still don't like them. So I gave the one I didn't eat to my dad along with some cornbread. It's been a lazy hot morning.

(*(*(*(*(*(*(*(*(*(*(*

Junho stared blankly at the Seine. Today was the first day in two weeks where it hadn't rained. It wasn't hot or cold but he wore a light jacket anyway. His heart ached and thumped hard in his chest. Junsu wasn't doing well at all.

He had heard from a friend of the fight the Song couple had had because of his brother. Junsu was intelligent but sometimes he lacked the social etiquette of knowing when he imposed. Eri was nice and friendly but she was also at fault for enabling him. Woo Bin hadn't been wrong to confront her about it. The fight may have gone wrong but Junsu had made the correct decision to go home.

France had always made him feel like he was in another world. The people were much friendlier than in Korea, but the one person he wanted to share that with was on the other side of the world. He should have made him come, or at least stayed until he was well again.

He stared at his hand. He had been in the kitchen working on a new caramel pastry and had been cutting the caramel into chunks to make it easier to melt when he had sliced into the meaty part of his hand. His hand had bled profusely and he'd had to have several stitches. For the time being he was banned from the kitchen, at least until the swelling went down.

This was the worst time for him to be handicapped. He needed to make things to get his mind off his family back home. He had to be busy. It was always how he worked. He had to be able to throw himself into work and not worry about what he was going home to. Now that his hand was bummed he was at a loss for what to do.

His phone buzzed in his lap. He swiped the screen and brought up the message from his mother. _"You need to hurry home. Junsu is lost without you."_

If she only knew how lost they both were right now, she would understand how hard it was for him to be away from them. They had the freaky twin thing going on, and it was telling him that though Junsu was struggling he was in good hands. Those hands weren't Junho's but they were good enough to ease his brother's pain or at least decrease it by half. Now he just had to focus on his pain and get better so he could go home.

He took the path back home slowly because he wasn't all too sure he wanted to go home. Unlike outside, inside was a box. He couldn't stand being boxed in when he was anxious. Junsu had always made him anxious and now he was thinking of going to a box that would make it even worse.

His hand throbbed dully as he walked. It was a constant reminder that he wasn't fit for work. He hated being idle. He had to be doing something all the time. Baking was the number one thing but now he couldn't even do that. He wanted to hit something.

"I've never known a man to be as broody as you are."

Junho jumped at the sound of Francesco's voice. The Frenchman stood behind him in faded jeans and a button-up shirt. The weather didn't affect him in the slightest but then again he was used to it.

"Junsu?" he asked as he fell in step with his newfound friend.

"It seems we're both getting worse before things get better. First his trauma and now my hand. It's driving me nuts," he replied.

"Eri says she had a fight with Woo Bin about Junsu. Is everything all right?" Junho frowned at him, but that only made him laugh. "Contrary to popular belief, I do talk to my sister on a regular basis. Since she had her hearing aids replaced, it's become more frequent. I also talk to Woo Bin, and recently I just laid into him for trying to dictate. We actually had a huge fight. My brother-in-law is very ferocious when he needs to be, but most of the time he's a teddy bear."

"He's been good to Junsu."

"Yes, but Eri is about to get her way like she always does. I swear that girl is hell bent on making sure everyone who has feelings for her has them diverted." He cast a knowing look at the younger man. "I know everything you know."

Junho licked his lips and kept on going. He had never said a word, opting to stay in the background so his brother could take his time. But in the end it hadn't happened and he'd been left to pick up the pieces. There wasn't much he wouldn't do for his brother. Well except murder. He wouldn't murder for his brother, but he would lie for him. They had done that before.

"She's hard not to love even though she hasn't firmly grasped her emotions. She sees the world in a different light than we do and that makes her strong. But she's also very weak when it comes to those same emotions. It's why we as men fall in love with her and try to protect her. But in the end all it does is make her protect us even more. No matter what good we try to do, we are overshadowed by her. For a dark outer appearance, she's got the brightest light on the inside."

"She doesn't love me."

"No, she doesn't. At least not in the way she loves Woo Bin, but if she brought you into her inner circle and called you brother then you're as good as gold. She doesn't trust very often."

"I really don't want any of this. I don't want a family. I don't want a wife. None of it. My mom wants it all for me, but I don't. I've never really wanted it. Junsu does though. He wants the whole package."

"Your brother got the emotional aspect while you were short-sided. That doesn't seem fair."

"Francesco, I know your ilk. Don't try to set me up."

"I'm not my sister."

"No, you're much worse. At least Eri tells me what she's going to do."

"True, but I do have help for you. You can still work in the kitchen with that hand of yours."

Junho stared at him. "I like to do my own mixing."

"Hard to do with that hand now isn't it?" He received an angry glare. "Just meet her. I'm not asking you to fall in love. Just let her help you when you're in the kitchen. It will speed up your learning time and get you home faster."

"You're not going to let me say no are you?"

Francesco smiled. "Is it that obvious?"

"She better not step on my toes."

Knowing he had won this tiny battle, Francesco followed him back to campus and into the kitchens. Junho sat on the counter and stared at the workplace that had been his for two weeks. There was nothing on to suggest he had been using it the past two days. And the reason was he hadn't due to his hand. He hated it at this moment.

The silver counters were pristine and everything was in its place. No one had touched anything he had placed on the counter. His life had taken a down turn. Why couldn't he have been at home when this happened?

"I worked my butt off to get this far and I'm here I am now. My hand's in a cast and my brother – the one person who has always been behind me – is three thousand miles away suffering so much worse. Why am I even here?" he demanded.

"Because you love your work and your brother loves you. He wouldn't have let you miss this trip simply because he has something terrible going on. Siblings support each other, but the two of you are twins with a much deeper connection. If one isn't happy, neither is the other. Just do what he tells you because he feeds off of you. It gives him the courage to do what he wants."

Junho looked at him. "You're spewing all this do what he says crap. Did Eri ever do that for you?"

"All the time. We're five years apart in age, not five minutes, so I didn't really understand what it meant to be deaf. I never really understood what all the kids meant when they said she wasn't fully human, but she never let any of it stop her. She couldn't hear their angry and hateful words until she was ten but even then she never paid attention. I on the other hand couldn't help it. She's my little sister. My parents weren't going to protect her so who would? Luckily Grandpere stepped up and took her. She started to really love art then, but it was after Grandmere died that she started to look into medicine. She graduated the top of her class even with all the rumors and events that happened."

"Do you ever envy her?"

"All the time. She's got a husband and two beautiful children. I haven't found that yet and I'm almost forty."

"We should just be eternal bachelors."

Francesco laughed. "That's a little dangerous don't you think? Eri's older and younger brothers acting like idiots because they are eternally single." The doors to the kitchen opened. "She's here."

A woman not much shorter than Eri walked around the divider. She was dark headed with bright blue eyes and the tannest complexion he had ever seen. Her skirt reached her knees and paired with the peasant blouse showed her figure. Her smile was dazzling, but nothing in Junho stirred at the sight of her.

"You must be Junho Kim?" she said in broken English. "I am Genevieve Pepet. Francesco said you would like together."

Junho smiled. "Call me Junho. I didn't ask Francesco for help. He kind of volunteered you," he said in fluent French.

Her answering smile was relieved. "I don't know Korean, but you know French so it will make it easier."

Francesco clapped his hands. "All right. I'll leave you two alone. Be safe and have fun."

Junho watched him race out the door. "That rotten bastard," he muttered. He didn't have time to chase after him because Genevieve was rummaging around in his kitchen.


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Note: So I think I know what I want to do with him finally. It's not going to be what you expect but it's going to be fun and funny once the twins are back together. Plus it's amazing how things like this unite people all over the world. I suddenly feel like we're a fanfiction family.

I don't know if I told you how to pronounce my female characters name. If you know how, that's great but some don't. In American it's pronounced Jen-uh-veeve with the long E sound between the V's. But in France it's Jean-V-eave, with Sean sounding like it has a Z, a long V sound in the middle, and almost an F sound at the end. So it's more like Zean-V-F. I suck at explanations but this is the best I could come up with.

(*(*(*(*(*(*(*(*(*(*(

"No! Can't do it that way!" Junho turned the mixer off and shoved it down the counter. "I told you! You can't mix the wet ingredients and the dry ingredients until the oil has settled."

Genevieve lifted the wooden spoon to his face and put her hand to her hip. "You've been yelling at me all day. You had better stop or I'm going to leave a permanent reminder on your face."

Junho scowled and turned away. His in a very nasty mood at the moment and it had nothing to do with Genevieve. Junsu was having a particularly rough day and he could feel it all the way in Paris. Something was nagging at his brother's heart and it resonated across the Asian continent to Europe where he was. He wanted to call him but knew if he did he would have to listen to him drone on and on. He'd ask Francesco about it later because there was no doubt he already knew.

The last time he had talked to Francesco had been when he arrived from Korea a couple of days ago. He had gone to talk to Yi Jeong about doing a show in a couple of months. He had enough pieces backed up he could easily fit four shows in the next month, but because Yi Jeong was now part of his family, he had the first rights to it. It had been an unspoken agreement between each other.

Naturally he had stopped by to see his sister, but he'd had to go to Song Construction to do it. He had said that she was now in charge of the company as heir. He said she was so busy she rarely even got to the studio anymore. But she had made time to see him because he was family.

Eri had said something about Junsu and a woman in the bakery. There wasn't much that surprised him, but that had. Junsu didn't open his heart often so for a woman to invade his space meant he was moving on slowly. But there was still so much more missing that he hadn't asked Francesco. Like how his mother was, how the bakery was doing, and how everyone else was.

But what was wrong with Junsu now that his heart felt like it was being ripped apart? He was really getting tired of not having answers to any of the questions he wanted.

Sharp pain lanced across his arm and he looked over. Genevieve looked at him and waved the handle of the spoon at him. He had zoned out again. She was getting into the habit of slapping him every time he did and it was starting to piss him off.

"I'm about to kick you out of the kitchen if you don't quit doing that," he warned.

"Stop yelling at me and keep focused and I wouldn't have to," she retaliated. "What do I need to do? Walk me through it again."

He did. He walked her through how to make éclairs and Danishes. They had just started on brownies when Francesco walked in with three cups of coffee. Junho looked at the clock. It was just about time for him to show up.

He set the cups on the table and pulled up a stool from another section. He munched on his dried cereal as he watched them make noise and sweet smelling treats. He tended to be a nuisance when he wasn't eating something. At least his munching was quieter than his voice.

"How do I do the vanilla swirl?" Genevieve asked.

"Take the vanilla batter and pour it in." He watched from the side as she did so. He handed her a skewer. "Take the pointy end and swirl it around. You'll get your marbling and a rich chocolaty-vanilla taste."

"Have you ever thought of taking on a student?" Francesco asked.

"I'd probably die if she were my student," he replied.

"You two work well together." The Frenchman's eyebrows went up. "Maybe you two can be together."

"Not likely."

"Oh, that's right. You don't want to get married."

Genevieve looked at him. "What makes you say that?"

"My twin was given all of the emotions. He's the one who wants to get married and have a family. I have no inclination to do that." He noticed her face had fallen somewhat. "I know you have a boyfriend. I've watched you with him on multiple occasions. Don't get the wrong idea about us."

Francesco stayed where he was as the chef walked out. He looked at Genevieve as she put the tray in the oven. Junho had been right when he said she was already seeing someone. She had been for a few years, and Francesco had been the one to set them up. But he could tell that something had settled over the woman.

"You like him don't you?" he asked.

The timer went off on the oven and she pulled them out. "He seems to be lost."

"You don't have a twin so you dot understand what it's like to have a part of yourself missing. Junsu is going through something right now and he's not there. It's eating him up, but he has to finish these classes before he can go back. And his hand is injured so he can't flex it. He has a business at home and is getting ready to open a second. He's left all the planning to his brother."

"So he's homesick?"

"No, he's been away from home before but he's brother sick. He's never been separated from Junsu before. They even live together. They're closer than Eri and I am."

"How is she? I haven't seen her since you and I dated in college."

"She's doing well. She got married four years ago this month, and her oldest child will be five next July. Her husband owns the largest construction company in South Korea. Her youngest child is almost three and they're expecting another child." He wasn't going to say she was adopting because that was no one's business as long as she claimed the child and raised it like she had been raised.

"When will she return to France? I'd like to see her."

"I don't think she will for some time. Our parents are still lingering about Paris doing God knows what, and she doesn't want to run into them. She hasn't spoken to them in five years. I don't think she will now. If Grandpere were still alive, she would because he would want to see his great-grandchildren, but she won't come during the holiday seasons."

Genevieve transferred the pastries from the hot metal pan to a flat cookie sheet covered in wax paper. "That seems really sad. You two were really close."

"We still are." He stuck his finger in the melted chocolate she had in a bowl on the counter. "I've seen her more in the last year than I have when we lived in the same country. I might as well move to Korea."

"Why don't you?"

"I hate the cold and Korea has nasty winters."

"Yet you go to Switzerland every year in December to ski." She looked at him with a knowing look.

"I don't have to leave the resort then. I can just sit by the fire and not really care that it's snowing all around me. I do have a season pass."

He licked his fingers then folded his arms under him again. "I have another favor. This one is going to be so much harder than this one."

Genevieve turned from the fridge where she had put the pastries to chill for the time being. "What is it this time?"

"Go to Korea with him. My sister has a bad habit of setting people up. She did it for her friend Ji Hoo and is probably trying it with Junsu. It gets really bad if her husband gets involved. I almost feel sorry for the kid."

"I've already sent in your two week notice to your boss. He said he was upset in losing you but it couldn't be helped if you were moving. I've already set up an apartment for you as well."

She wanted to punch him. "Why do you do things without asking permission? What about Claude? What do I tell him?"

"I could care less about that sack of wine. You deserve better than him. If you'd let me, I'd crack a vase over his head, but sadly you won't." He stood and wiped his hands on his pants. "Just trust me. I have never let you down before."

"Yes you did. You said we were going to be together forever then ran off with Emily to the Alps."

"It was one time!" She laughed at him as she put everything back in order and shut off the lights. "What are you going to do now?"

"Junho hasn't eaten. We've been secluded in that work space for a few hours. I'll grab some dinner and take it to him."

"He's going to be in a nasty mood."

"He already was."

Francesco followed her through the market then halfway to Junho's. He had undoubtedly gone home because there was nothing else for him to do. They had been forbidden to go out partying while they were studying. Junho didn't like to drink but his friends did so he usually followed to make sure they got home. Since they had been forbidden to do anything fun, he had gone home to sulk.

Genevieve said goodbye to her friend as before taking the stairs to Junho's flat. She knocked on the door and pushed by the owner after he opened the door. There really wasn't anything he could say so he just shut the door and locked it. He had to know she was going to come after he had left.

She didn't have to ask where anything was. Due to the lack of cabinet space, the pots and pans were hanging over the stove. All she had to do was pull one off the hooks and get to working with them. It took less time to get dinner ready than she had thought so in no time the tortellini was ready.

Junho didn't say anything as he ate. He looked exhausted and didn't want to be there. His mind was three thousand miles away while his body sat in Paris. Genevieve had four older brothers but they had never been close. She couldn't imagine having a replica of herself out in the world.

She watched him closely. He picked at his food which she knew he would do. He had recently dyed his hair a light purple, almost lilac color. She wasn't sure how he did it considering his hand was injured but there it was. He stood out in the kitchens as the most eccentric and the best. No one hated him for being the best and came to him when they needed help.

"You should eat something," she said.

"I'm not really hungry," he answered finally just shoving the plate away.

"You can't perform in the kitchen if you're not at your full strength."

"I can't perform in the kitchen with this hand." He waved it around for emphasis before running his bare hand through his hair.

"How much longer do you have scheduled here?"

"Four more weeks. I'm not sure I can make it though."

"Your brother is going to be all right."

"It's not my brother I'm worried about."

So it wasn't about Junsu. He was more worried about himself. It had been the two of them for nearly twenty-seven years. They had relied solely on each other and had never had to answer to anyone but each other. Now that they were separated they didn't have to talk to each other.

Junho felt the separation a lot deeper because Junsu did have all the emotions between the two. The older twin relied heavily on the younger one because he wasn't used to being alone. He hated to be alone it seemed, or hated to be away from his family.

"Why don't you cut your time here short and go home?" she offered. He looked at her like she had just spit hot coals on him. "You're obviously not in the right frame of mind to be here. And it's not Junsu you're worried about. I mean it is, but that's not the whole part. Chef Christian will understand."

"You don't know any of it." He shoved his chair away from the table and stalked across the room.

"No, I don't, but I do understand what it feels like to be lonely. I have four brothers and none of them give a damn about what happens to me. My parents are gone. The only people I have are Francesco and Claude. Francesco flies in and out of the country and Claude works all the time. I'm always alone. That's why I agreed to help you out, because Francesco said you were going to need a friend."

"You consider me a friend? All I've done was yell at you about things you were doing wrong."

"And I've smacked you for it every time." She stood and headed for the door. "Go home. It would be so much easier on you."

Junho watched her leave his flat. She was right about him being even more dependent on Junsu than they really let everyone believe, but Junsu did have some of the most unstable emotions. But they were two of a kind. If he went home now, Junsu would think it was because of him. How could he tell him that he a brother complex?


	4. Chapter 4

Junho stepped out of the travel agency and headed back to his flat. After a couple of weeks of nagging, he had finally bought his ticket to go home. He made it easier on himself by going through the agency he always used. They had always been good to him so he figured it would be better to keep up the patronage.

He had two days before he flew home, but in a strange turn of events he wasn't sure if he wanted to go. After nearly two months, he had finally talked to Eri over the computer. She had said that Junsu had finally asked McCall Stanley out, the woman who had stepped in to help his brother with the shop. They had included her little brother who was eleven years younger than them on their date which had endeared both Stanley siblings to him even more.

She had also said that Junsu hadn't conquered that sadness that came to him when he looked out the window of the shop. He hadn't told McCall what had happened. Eri thought it would be better for Junho to take over the home shop and let Junsu oversee the opening of the new one to help him come to terms with everything. She said he was suffering from PTSD.

He had asked what it was like for her to run a multimillion dollar corporation. She had blown out a hard breath and her bangs hair had flown up. She had obviously hated it but her priority was to her family so she had stepped in. Just by watching her, he knew she hadn't been able to get to the studio. There had been dark circles under her eyes due to lack of sleep, but she had been her normal self. She had always been very informative and that hadn't changed in the nearly two months he had been away.

Homesickness wasn't something he was used to. Usually when he came to France he had enough to do that always kept him busy. But this time with his busted hand he hadn't been able to do as much as he wanted. Genevieve had been a lifesaver even if she did get on his nerves. Then there was Francesco. The idiot man always spent as much time as he could at Junho's flat to keep him company. The only issue was he talked all the damn time. Even in his sleep he talked.

The main thing the idiot talked about was his, as in Junho's, inability to see Genevieve as a woman. It wasn't that he didn't see her as a woman. He just didn't have any romantic feelings towards her. And unlike Francesco's arguments, it had nothing to do with Eri.

Over the last few months he had already made peace with the fact that Woo Bin was Eri's husband and that the love they had for each other was so deep not even a river could burst it. There was no way he could get in the middle of it even if he tried. Woo Bin would kick his ass anyway.

Strangely enough when Eri had called, he had told her everything. She had listened to him calmly like she always did. When he had finished, she sighed gently then placed her face in her hand and talked to him in earnest about it. It was the first time they had talked without his brother interrupting them about something stupid or about going out to eat. He felt they had become closer from that brief conversation than any other time. She had even agreed with Francesco about bringing Genevieve back with him. He didn't know why and she didn't tell him but he had always trusted her judgment.

He was unsure of that though. Genevieve was a wonderful person. She fought back when he yelled and did everything he asked. She was gentle and kind and would undoubtedly pass his noona's inspection. Even though he was still working on his feelings, Eri was still noona.

Junho was content in his silence as he headed back to the flat until he heard something he hated hearing. A woman screamed just ahead of him. He was the oldest child in his family and had a strict code about how women should be treated. Making them scream was not one of them. Not thinking, he ran up ahead in search for the voice.

He turned the corner and found the one person he never thought to see in a fight. Genevieve sat on the ground against the building as the man who had to be Claude stood above her with a fist clenched. Junho strode forward and shoved him hard into the wall. He reached his casted hand down because he knew as soon as Claude regained his balance he was going to strike back.

He had just pulled Genevieve to a standing position when he was attacked from behind. Claude shoved him into the woman but Junho had enough time to brace himself against the wall to keep from crushing her. He thrust his back leg out and caught Claude around the ankle. He pulled his foot forward and Claude crashed into him. He turned suddenly and caught the man in a headlock. Claude sputtered as his air flow was cut off.

Genevieve had never seen a man act out of pure instinct. She had never seen Junho until he had shoved Claude out of the way. He had been so quiet. She figured he had enough experience sneaking out that he could move around so quietly.

Concern flashed through her mind briefly as she watched Claude sputter, but as soon as he did, Junho shoved him away. He hit the wall across from them hard and bounced just a little. Junho stared down at him.

"Take this as your break up," he said. "No man ever has a right to lay his hands on a woman. You should be grateful I let you off as easy as I did. Let's go, Gene."

She didn't argue with him, taking his hand and following him from the side street. They were lucky they hadn't attracted any more attention than Junho. Then again it was probably a really good thing. Claude was a lawyer and a lawyer going to jail was never a good thing. But the downside was if Claude wanted he could press assault charges on Junho. The Korean didn't seem scared by that prospect as he led them towards her flat. How did he even know?

She pulled out her key and unlocked her door as he waited out in the hallway. She had to beckon him inside or he would have stood there the entire time. She looked at him when he closed the door.

"Pack whatever you're going to need for a few months in Korea," he said succinctly. She gaped at him. "You told me to go home. I'm going home, but you're coming with me. I'm going to need help at the bakery as Junho and McCall work on the second shop."

She frowned at him. "Your brother's opening the second shop?"

He nodded. "He's going to oversee the process in opening it. He's going to hire everyone other than the chefs and then make sure the whole place is running smoothly. We've got funding from some friends to help us. They said we can pay them back at any time in coffee and pastries. I'm going to be very busy paying them back."

"Is this investor Eri DeArgint?" When he didn't answer her, she sighed. "You have to get over her."

"It's not like that. We're friends. Woo Bin knows how much it takes to open a company. He decided to loan us the money. Eri was the one who came up with the idea of paying back in food. She's always hungry. Get packed. You'll stay with me until we leave."

His tone didn't call for any argument. She couldn't give one if he was already like this. He didn't make decisions lightly. If he was going home, there was a good reason behind it. If it had nothing to do with his brother, that was even better.

"Who's going to be the chef at the new shop?" she asked as she started hefting suitcases from the hall closet.

"I will until I can get someone as equally as trained as I am to come in. Then I'll probably go back to the original shop my dad started. That shop is home anyway."

"What aren't you telling me?"

"Don't worry about it. You'll find out as soon as we get to Korea."

He wasn't going to say anything more so she just started throwing everything she knew she couldn't live five minutes without into the suitcases. She cleaned out her bathroom and bookshelves which earned her a couple of raised eyebrows. Her closets were next, taking up two suitcases. Her shoes filled up a small trunk.

"Why do girls have to have so much crap?" he asked as he picked up the stuffed animal she'd had since she was five.

She snatched it back. "We just do. Don't tell me Eri doesn't have as much stuff as I do."

"She doesn't, but Woo Bin has enough to make up for it. That's what happens when you're rich and refuse to throw anything away for as long as you're alive."

It took an hour but Genevieve packed everything she would need while in Korea. She didn't know what he had planned but he had been thorough so far. He had probably called in his friends for help to find her a place.

"What are your friends like?" she asked as she helped him lug everything downstairs.

"Yi Jeong and Ga Eul just got married and already are waiting on their first kid. It seems they can't wait to have children so they get pregnant before they get married. Yi Jeong is the potter I told you about, the one Francesco works closely with. Then there's Ji Hoo and his wife Kyu Lee. They too just recently got married and had their first kid, Hoon Min. They did it right actually. The baby was born almost a year and a half after their marriage. Jan Di and Jun Pyo are the two I don't know very well. Jun Pyo runs Shinhwa group and his wife is a member of Doctors without Borders. She's on hiatus since they're expecting their second child, a little boy I think. The person closest in age to me is Min Ho. He's only a few months older than me and Junsu. He's not married and I don't think he and his girl will get married. They're just not the type. To put it succinctly, everyone is nuts but very protective of each other."

She was going to hate herself, but she had to ask. "Where does Eri fit in all this?"

"She's the glue that holds us all together. It's hard to explain so you're just going to have to see it when we get to Korea."

Genevieve helped him load all her luggage in the taxi then rode in silence with him back to his flat. It was going to take a little bit for Claude to realize she was gone. By that time she was going to be in Korea with a group of people she barely knew. Well, the only one she did know was Junho. She had to get to know everyone quickly. She knew she had to pass the friendship test they had to be considered family but was a little scared about doing so. What would that entail? And if she couldn't pass it would she be ostracized?


	5. Chapter 5

Author's Note: All righty! This chapter coincides with chapter 6 of Junsu's story. It has the same dialogue since it's the twins' conversation but different takes on it.

(*(*(*(*(*(*(*(*(*(

It felt great to be back on familiar soil. Junho led Genevieve through customs then helped her gather all of her stuff. He hailed a taxi when they were finally outside the airport and loaded all of her stuff into it before climbing in behind her.

The flight had been long and both of them just wanted to crash, but they had a twenty minute ride to Genevieve's new place and they still had to unload the car. That was a task in and of itself. Genevieve had brought six pieces of luggage. He'd had to use a trolley to get it out to the car. Now that they were alone, he was going to be the one lugging it out of the car and into the new place.

Luckily the apartment Francesco rented when he was Korea had an elevator. All Junho had to do was pull the luggage from the car and roll it into the building. But he only had two hands and it would take two people to move the trunk. Luckily a nice passerby helped him, and the three of them got everything into the apartment.

Neither one bothered to shower and passed out as soon as they sat down for more than five minutes. Junho slept like he was dead. He was usually a light sleeper unless he was just out of it. He never heard his alarm because he was deeply asleep.

He finally woke a little after noon. He showered and found some semblance of clean clothes in his luggage. He would return home and get some really clean clothes before going in search of his friends. He made Genevieve lunch before he left then he went home.

Stepping into the apartment for the first time in nearly two months, he felt relieved. This was home. He knew this place inside and out and nothing had changed. Junsu was still a slob and his clothes were strewn everywhere. He refused to clean up when he knew Junho was going to be gone for long period of time. Junho hadn't told him he was coming home so he hadn't cleaned up.

Junsu wouldn't be out of class yet so he did the dishes and put some laundry in for while he was away. He liked to let his laundry sit in the machine to make sure all of the excess water was really drained before he hung it up. It was a weird habit he had from the time he was a teenager and it wasn't going to go away.

Closer to four he headed out. The bakery was only a couple of blocks from their apartment so he could take his time surprising Junsu. He saw him sitting in the far corner when he came upon the bay window, but the thing that stuck out the most in his mind was that the blood stain from the little girl still hadn't been cleaned off the sidewalk. He didn't know how much rain had fallen since he'd left but he did know it should have washed off by now.

He went in and made a beeline for his brother. Junsu was attempting to study but by the bouncing of his foot he knew he was losing that battle. He walked right up to his table and stood over him.

"Would you move?" he asked rather harshly.

He snorted at his brother's newfound arrogance. "Is that any way to talk to your older brother?"

Junsu's head snapped up as he heard his voice above him. Junho smiled down at him seconds before he popped up. Junsu wrapped his arms around his brother's neck and hugged him tight. He could tell that he world finally felt right again to his little brother. They were finally together again after so long.

Junho knew phantom pains went through Junsu's hand, and he pulled back to see a bright pink cast on his hand. Junsu stared up at him before Junho waved him back to his seat. The first thing he did was walk into the kitchen. He hit the coffee maker to brew two cups of coffee then pulled two plates off the shelf to place two pastries on them. When the coffee was done, he sprayed whipped cream on top and sprinkled cinnamon. Then he carried everything back to the lobby.

"When did you get back?" Junsu asked as he took a cup from his brother.

"Last night. We came in on the red eye," Junho replied as he sat down and pulled apart the pastry.

His twin frowned. "We? Who's we? Do you have a girlfriend I don't know about?"

He frowned, making an irritated face. That had been the question everyone on the plan wanted to know. "It's not like that, Gangaji. Francesco got her to work with me when I sliced my hand open."

"Do you not like her or something, Goyangi?"

Junho smiled at the familiar nicknames –puppy and kitten - they had used with each other ever since they were kids. "You know how I feel about it."

"That's not what I asked. Do you like or dislike her? It's not a hard question."

"I like her but I don't have romantic feelings for her. I haven't ever had romantic feelings for anyone before." Junho looked up when Junsu didn't say anything. Junsu was frowning over his cup at him, clearly asking him to lie one more time. "I'm not counting Eri."

"And why the hell not? We both know what she did to us."

"Yes, she made us realize that we're not the low trash the other women you had talked to thought, but that doesn't mean I want to be in a relationship. I respect the hell out of that woman but as I sat and thought about, I don't want to be married nor have kids. I don't have that paternal instinct like you."

Junsu drained the remnants of his drink then set the cup down. He leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. "Be honest with me because we both know I can tell when you lie." It took a minute but Junho looked up. His younger brother had been waiting for that moment. "Were you really okay by yourself?"

Junho scoffed as he nodded his head towards the bay window, completely shaken by the question. "I should be asking you that question."

The younger twin stared at the older one. This is what he always did when he wanted to avoid the question. He turned it around to make it seem like nothing was wrong with him. Junsu knew he did it. He knew he was a master of words, but he also knew what made him tick. He was going to lie about it all until Junsu got so irritated at him that he attacked.

Junsu made a flourished movement with his hand. It swept the room before landing back in his lap. "I was perfectly fine. I had our friends and family with me. You were the one three thousand miles away without anyone. Yes, I still have issues about the front walk but that's because I haven't talked to the family since it happened. You on the other hand have an issue about being alone that you never told anyone. The only reason I know is because we're twins. And the fact that you called me to walk you home when you attempted to stay the night with Kim Dong Jun when we were in second year of middle school. Mom still doesn't know about that."

Junho leaned forward and pointed at him. "I threatened you if you told anyone."

But Junsu waved it off like it wasn't important. "That's not the reason I never told anyone about it. I didn't want to embarrass you. Everyone knows you're the more reserved twin, but if they knew about your insecurities, they would never leave you alone. You lash out when you're angry, and lashing out would drive people away. You'd lose all your friends that way and you'd truly be alone."

Junsu had always hated bringing up things from the past, but it was the greatest concern he had when it came to his brother. Junho was intelligent and quick witted. He could come up with the funniest or sarcastic things to say at the right time. There were countless times when they had a fight and it ended because he said something really stupid. And Junsu had always been appreciative of that.

But the real reason Junho had done all of that was because he couldn't lose anymore family. He'd lost his dad and had watched his mother work her butt off to keep the place alive. Junsu did his best too, working two jobs to make sure he made ends meet. He had to pay his tuition and any other random bills that came with their apartment. He had never known how much Junho had to grow up after their dad had died. And Junho wasn't going to tell him all the things he had sacrificed to make sure his brother got what he wanted.

So he did what he did best; he changed the subject.

"How's the second shop going?" he asked.

He listened to Junsu as he launched into the tale of how much crap he had to do while he was gone. Junho felt bad about that, but Junsu was going to be in charge of the new store. He had to get his feet wet if he was going to survive.

He had been surprised to know that the woman had helped get everything ready. She had taught Junsu so much just by being around and giving him firsthand experience. That's what he really needed because studying was going to cut it. Junsu had a hand up on his fellow classmates since his family already ran a business and he could have hands on training.

Suddenly Junsu stopped talking and looked him dead in the eye.

"Did you know the DeArgint family is funding the new bakery café?" he asked.

Junho frowned. That was news to him, but then again he hadn't really talked to Eri, who was head of the DeArgint family. "When did you find out?"

"A couple of days ago. They came in to tell us. All we have to do to pay them back is to give them cake.'

The older twin laughed. "That had to be an Eri stipulation.'

"You know it was, but why are they doing that? I can never understand why they just throw money at us."

"Maybe they just really love our cakes."

"Or maybe you guys just need the help." They both turned as Min Ho strode over. They hadn't seen him in a few weeks. He had been busy setting up the gallery for new art shows Yi Jeong was having every week. "Why didn't you tell anyone you were coming back?"

Junho shrugged. "It's not like it's a big deal."

Min Ho sputtered. "Not a big deal? You were only gone for a month and a half. We get to see your reflection every time we see Junsu, but his attitude is completely different from yours. Your broody ass is always missed when you're gone."

Junho knew he was broody. He didn't really care about that, but his friends missed him when he was gone? He just thought they were noncommittal when they talked to him. So he couldn't help the look of shock that came over his face when he heard those words.

The only people outside of Junsu that talked to him on a regular basis was Min Ho, Woo Bin and Eri. No one else in F4 came around. They knew he was now part of their family but they had never come around to talk to him explicitly. So he didn't really think anything about them other than they would help if someone said to.

He caught Junsu's concerned gaze over the table as Yoo Jun brought Min Ho the same thing the twins had just finished off. He really couldn't hide anything from his twin. Twenty-seven years had taught him that.

"Anyway, you two haven't heard. Besides Eri taking over as the Song Family Heir – and it all has to be capitalized for some reason – they're also adopting two more children right before Christmas. I think they're going to register their birthdays as one day instead of two," Min Ho continued like the twins hadn't zoned off for a bit.

"Twins?" Junho asked. Min Ho nodded as he chewed a huge hunk of Danish. "It's going to be rough with four kids and a business to run."

"You haven't heard the rest. Eri is going to back off after she murders my sister. Min Hae has been causing trouble again. They finally have the right documents but Eri found that Min Hae has been cheating on her husband. I'm not sure if she's going to blackmail her and threaten to turn her in for adultery or if she's going to let it slide. I would tell her husband. But it's whatever Eri wants to do."

"We need to talk to her about the money."

Junsu shook his head. "It won't work. She's already bought the site we were going to put a down payment on. She said we can move in whenever we want. I was just waiting for you."

"You're going to argue with her aren't you?" Min Ho asked the older twin. "It's not going to work. She's already got Yi Jeong working on something for the new place. If you decline her, she'll be madder than she already is. Oh, and she's already had dinner with your mother so you don't have much of a choice."

That bit of information irked him beyond all belief. His mother was a very picky woman. She ran with people she knew would help her and be her friend at the same time. When they had first started hanging around F4, she had been concerned that bad habits were going to rub off on them. But Eri had been kind to them and to her when she came around on a weekly basis for a cake.

Now she was having dinner with her without their knowledge. She was always playing mental games. When it seemed like they were finally catching up to her, she was always moving ten steps ahead. When was she going to stop? He was going to make sure she understood how unhappy he really was. No one used his family like this.


	6. Chapter 6

Author's Note: My dogs and I had a disagreement this morning. I have a three year old dog, two eight month old puppies, and five two month old puppies. The five younger puppies wanted to eat but Mama wasn't having it. So I kicked her off the bed and she nursed them. Then the older two decided they wanted to play. This was all at 5 AM! I wanted to kill them! Finally the babies lay down and went back to sleep. I love my dogs but they don't let me sleep.

But about the story, Junho is acting out and I don't know why. Hopefully we'll both figure it out in this chapter and later on. He's just being a butthead.

(*(*(*(*(*(*(*(*(*(

"Where are you going?" Genevieve asked as she watched Junho fly around her apartment. She had asked him over to help her unpack. She hadn't expected him to be in a snarky mood when he got there.

Before they had even left France, so many huge things had happened. Junho and Claude had gotten in a fight that had resulted in her immediate departure. Claude had called her eighteen times since that day in the side street. Junho had screened those calls because he hadn't wanted her leaving.

Then her youngest brother Pierre had called and demanded to know where she was and why she was staying with a guy he didn't know. She had held the phone away from her ear and let Junho listen in as well. He had made a face then tossed the phone in the trash.

Luckily for her, her passport was still effective since she had traveled to Italy a few months ago for Fashion Week in Milan. They had slid through international transport and boarded the plan effortlessly. The most tiring had been staying in one position for seven hours. She had tried to sleep but this kid behind her kept kicking her seat.

That was the moment she noticed that Junho could sleep anywhere. He had put her against the window seat and had taken the aisle seat for himself. She thought it was because he was being a gentleman, but an hour into the flight she realized he did it so he could stretch out while he slept. He was tall, just a little bit over six feet tall. In the end Genevieve had stretched out across him as she had slept, meaning they had shared a blanket the entire time.

When they had landed, all of sudden she had to learn a completely new language. Italian was easier but Korean was going to kick her butt. She had a hard time learning new languages but if she could talk in French the entire time, she would be fine.

Junho had been gone when she had woken up that first day. Jetlagged beyond anything she had ever felt before, she had lain on her already furnished couch and slept most of the day. He had returned that night with groceries and had helped her cook something light and easy. They had eaten together before Junho had left again to go see his mother.

She had had a couple of days to rest so she had sketched in her notebook most of the day. She wanted to be able to start her own clothing line but didn't have the means or the funds. Francesco wanted her to work with Junho in the bakery but she only baked for fun. Her passion was in clothing. She had worked as a consultant for three years in the hopes that she would be able to help the big names design their clothing. Then maybe she could branch out and make her own. But not that was gone as she was in Korea with a man she barely knew.

That morning Junho had come in talking about her stuff. He was going to have it delivered in a couple of says so it would be more like home. He had brought breakfast he had made in the bakery and was about to head back when he got a call. And now they were at the stage where his face turned red and he was storming out of her house.

Not sure what she should do, Genevieve grabbed her jacket and shoved her feet into her boots and followed after him. She slammed her hand in the elevator doors to keep them from closing behind Junho. He stared down at her for a moment then pressed the button once again.

When they were outside he walked over to a motorcycle. She stared at it before hopping on behind him, wondering how he was going to steer with his casted left hand. He handed her a full helmet then put one on himself before turning the key. He revved the engine then pulled up the kickstand and off they went.

He didn't speed through the streets of Seoul per se, but he definitely didn't follow the traffic laws. He wove in and out of traffic, only stopping when he hit traffic lights. If the line was too long, he took side streets and ended up beating the traffic at the lights. He handed the bike with ease.

He pulled into an underground parking lot and killed the engine. He pulled his helmet off and his freshly dyed cotton candy blue hair was messier than usual. Helmet in hand, he started for the elevator, pushing the lobby button when he was inside. He was buzzing with energy as they stood in the box.

When they reached the lobby, they abandoned that elevator and took the main one that led to the offices. No one stopped them so Genevieve though Junho was a regular visitor. The business didn't stop as they rode this elevator. He was still angry and it showed on his face as he tapped his foot.

Finally the doors opened and she had to run to keep up with his long strides. Junho walked right past the secretarial pool the massive wooden doors at the end of the hall. No one stopped him. He slammed his hand on the doors once before shoving them open.

There were only two people in the office. One was a tall man with reddish colored hair. He was wearing causal business wear of khakis and a button up brown shirt. The other person was a woman who was almost as tall as her counterpart. She had short wavy hair that reached her shoulders. She was dressed in a flowy peasant style blouse and skinny jeans with boots. Something about her seemed so foreign and that's when Genevieve remembered who she was.

She was Eri DeArgint, head of the DeArgint family. Francesco said she had moved to Korea and was living there with her husband but he never said she had grown up so well. The last time Genevieve had seen her she had been in college.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" She jumped at Junho's explosive temper as he slammed his helmet down on a side table.

"Who the hell do you think you're talking to?" the other man countered, turning to fully watch him.

Eri put a hand on the man's arm and he backed down, moving to stand at a slight angle with his shoulder turned into her back. He had to be her husband but Genevieve couldn't remember his name.

"Sit down," she requested.

"No."

She raised an eyebrow. "I'm sorry, but did I precede that with if it pleases your royal highness? Sit. Down. Now." No matter what happened, Eri's temper was always worse when she was riled.

Junho knew that face. He had witnessed it and had been on the receiving end. He was going to do what she said one way or another. If he did it voluntarily, she would spare him from her hateful tongue. If he didn't, Woo Bin would shove him into the seat and restrain him. The lesser of two evils was right before him.

But he couldn't help the burst of anger. He growled and sank down in the chair, helmet thunking hard on the floor. They stared at each other over the desk for a long moment, chocolate brown eyes and light golden eyes creating and electrical current.

"Now, I assume you're here because of Moon Bae," Eri stated. She leaned back in the leather chair and crossed her arms. It was an imposing gesture for those not accustomed to her.

But Junho wasn't scared. The man behind her was far scarier than his wife. "What gives you the right to talk to my mother without either me or Junsu present? That's crossing a line. I would never meet Woo Bin without you knowing beforehand. It's not even that he would tell you immediately after we met, but it's a courtesy I thought you had."

He had so much more to say but the words he wanted wouldn't come out. He was angry, but not because Eri had gone behind his back. It was because he hadn't anticipated what she was going to do. He had always been able to do that with his brother so why couldn't he do it now?

"Junho." He looked up at the soft voice that beckoned him. "I was going through files a few days ago as I was reorganizing. I found the deed to your father's bakery in those files. Song Construction built that strip where your bakery is located. Legally your family owns the bakery but without the deed, it's a useless battle in court. I met your mother to give her the deed."

He felt like such an idiot then. There was no reason for her to tell him she was meeting his mother because the name on the deed was his father's. For nearly thirty years the bakery had been in their family and no one had known that the deed was missing. Eri was right. If Song Construction wanted to go to court about legal ownership, they would have lost without the deed to the land even if his father's name had been on it.

"Woo Bin, sit down. You're bothering me," she said suddenly. Junho laughed at that because as soon as she said it, Woo Bin cuffed her lightly in the head as he made his way to the chair by the wall. "Son jerk."

"Mean wife," he retaliated as he crossed his legs.

"You haven't changed," Genevieve surmised as she watched the playful banter. "You're as cross as ever."

Eri looked at her. "I haven't had time to change. You should meet the rest of my family. They're worse than him."

The other woman smiled and looked at the desk. "Is this your place?"

"For now at least. I don't plan on keeping it very much longer. We're expected to get our new additions to our family in a couple of weeks. Before that we have to move into our new place, but I can't do this and take care of my family. So I'm going to finish my nitpicking here then return to what I'm good at."

"Francesco should be here by then. He can help." The other woman shook her head. "Why not?"

Woo Bin let out a little laugh. "He dropped our oldest child on his head when he was two. They were playing and he accidentally let go. She still holds a grudge."

Eri threw a wadded up piece of paper at him. "That is not the reason why, you ass, and you know it. He's got a series of shows lined up for the next couple of months so he'll be busy working with Yi Jeong to get that ready. He'll only stay with us. But that's not what I want to talk about with you."

Junho suddenly became nervous. When Eri wanted to talk, it was never about something light. He had come in with guns blazing ready to go to war for his family and she had turned the tables on him in an instant. He hated the way she did that.

He shook his head. "Don't start with me."

"Then would you rather I ask while you're in the shower. I do have the pass code to your apartment like you'll have the pass code to our new house. It's not like I haven't seen you in various stages of undress."

He expected Woo Bin to make a snide comment, but the other man just sat quietly in the corner. With so many people in their family, it made sense that someone would slip up and walk out half dressed.

"I'm fine, Eri," he said on instinct.

"Why do you all say you're fine when you don't mean it?" Woo Bin asked. He pointed at his wife. "She does it too, but most of the time her art tells what she's feeling. But you're not fine. We know what you were feeling when you were in France?"

Genevieve was surprised. She leaned forward and looked between them. "If you don't mind my asking, how do you know? You're not a twin are you?"

"You don't have to have a twin to know the pain of missing someone. I went on a trip to Japan a few weeks ago and had to leave my family here. Eri always travels with me but since our daughter was sick she stayed home with her. It was the worst five days of my married life. We have never been separated like that since we've been married. I could feel her agony of being separated and she could feel mine."

"Now that I've been around these people for so long it feels strange to be alone. I'm always with someone," Eri said.

"That's because you tend to do things that worry us," Junho spouted.

"And you don't?" He frowned at her insinuation. "You're always alone, Junho. Even when you're with Junsu, you're always alone. Yet you hate being alone. How much sense does that make? I like being alone. It gives me time to think. You hate it, yet you're always alone. Do you know how that makes us feel?"

"We didn't contact you until the very end because we knew you'd be homesick and would return as soon as you talked to us. Take it from someone who's dealt with an emotionally disabled person. It's not easy watching him or her be alone," Woo Bin said.

"We're not asking you to get married because we know how you feel about it. We're asking you to think about everyone around you. Junsu can't keep supporting you. He's slowly finding out who he is as well. You don't want to inhibit his process do you?"

Genevieve looked between all of them. "You seem to know him well."

She was shocked when Eri smiled. "It takes someone with the same shortcomings to understand another, but also I have kind of adopted those two into this family."

"No one really goes against her," Woo Bin confirmed.

The doors opened again and a secretary walked in. She apologized profusely then told them that Woo Jun was waiting on them. Eri and Woo Bin said their goodbyes outside the door and disappeared down the hall hand in hand. Everyone who passed them gave the couple the gentlest of smiles.

Genevieve watched Junho as they headed back to the garage. He was struggling with everything he had just heard. It was good to see the people he surrounded himself with were so open and frank about everything. They didn't care if they hurt each other's feelings. They were going to be honest about how they felt. Now all they had to do was get him to start believing he was all right.


	7. Chapter 7

Author's Note: So I have the rest of these two stories planned out. After Chapter 7, there will be two more chapters. I can't believe it's taken so long for these two stories but the twins didn't want to cooperate.

Also this chapter coincides with Chapter 7 of Junsu's story so it will have some of the same dialogue.

(*(*(*(**(*(*(*(*(*(*(*(

Junho stared at Woo Bin as they sat across from each other in the bakery. Woo Bin had come to him to talk about something, but the scent of coffee and freshly baked bread had him sitting down and eating. It ran in the family so Junho hadn't said much about it, content to sit and watch his friend and brother enjoy himself.

He went back to a few days ago when he and Genevieve had gone to meet the Songs in their office. He had been ready to go to war because his friends had messed with his mother. But upon listening to their story, he had found that they were only trying to help. They were the most mature couple in F4 and did everything they could to protect their family. He was part of that now and they were going to do what was best for him.

But they had ticked him off just a little. He was perfectly fine not having a girlfriend, but they had been right about one thing. He had been homesick when he had been in France. He'd only had Francesco at first, but then Genevieve had been dropped in his lap. She reminded him of Eri in that she was already to fight him when she thought he was being stupid. It was just like his family.

He was always lonely, had been since he was a child. Junsu was more active and had a lot of people he could call. Junho had always had his brother and mother, but now he had so many more people he could talk to. He still couldn't be alone at night. Luckily McCall had a little brother who was still in school and had to be home at a certain time. Junsu always brought his work home so Junho could sleep. In the last couple of nights both of them had been awakened by Junsu's night terrors and had stayed up all night.

Since he was home, he was able to concentrate on things he hadn't been able to before. He could make his pastries and coffee and get the new menu. He could help manage the décor, which was completely different than this bakery's. He was happy to be doing things that he loved in the town that he loved.

He could tell Woo Bin loved the new pastry he had made. It was the equivalent of a British scone but it wasn't as flaky as a scone. It also had a rhubarb filling he had randomly made. The filling was smeared at the corners of the F4 member's mouth, but he didn't seem to mind.

"You didn't come here simply for my food did you?" he asked.

Woo Bin wiped his mouth then shook his head. "No, but I know whenever I come you will always give me the best you have already made. Plus I consider myself a taste tester."

"Between you and your wife, it's amazing we ever have anything to sell." He smiled at the rich man's laugh. "What's going on?"

"We're having a party tonight. It's really the last night for us to be able to because your shop opens next week and we move into the new house this weekend. After that it won't be too much longer until the adoption is formally processed. We don't have much time left."

"Where the party?"

"Yi Jeong's gallery is hosting it. It coincides with Francesco's opening night of his art show. This is his first showing in Korea in a couple of years. We want it to be good so the girls planned the party. We plan to bring the kids because it's their uncle's thing so we want everyone there."

"What about the others?"

"Ji Hoo and Kyu Lee have gone to Japan for a medical conference, and Jan Di and Jun Pyo are on vacation in Indonesia. They're not expected back until the end of next week. It's only the Songs and the So family plus you, your brother and Min Ho. Plus the girls who are with you guys. Without the whole family here, we're sure someone will try something."

"Namely Min Hae." Min Ho's twin sister had been causing trouble for them for some time. It was basically since her brother had been adopted into this family.

"She's trying to cause some dysfunction in my family," Woo Bin explained. "But I'm pretty sure Eri has already taken care of that. She won't tell me just yet." He placed his hands in his lap and leaned back just a bit. "You still haven't forgiven her just yet have you?"

Junho shook his head. "Not yet. Why does she have to keep things like that secret?"

"Unlike the rest of us, she can sense when things need to be kept quiet and when they need to be told. Whatever she has at the moment can't be told until she either double checks it or decides that it's pertinent for the moment. In the case of this bakery, she thought it was pertinent. She found the deed with your father's name on it early one evening and called your mother out immediately. It was something that couldn't be held on to since it was thirty years old. She thought your family needed to know."

He checked his watch. "I've done what I've been sent to do, but now I must get back to work. I'm afraid if I leave them alone together for too long, Eri and my dad will destroy the office. How much do I owe you?"

Junho shook his head. "It's on the house. I'll write it off as a business expenditure."

Woo Bin smiled then waved on his way out. Junho spent time cleaning up then went back into the kitchen. Yoo Jun was doing his best with Genevieve but the woman didn't like the other man too much. Yoo Jun was way to calm and didn't yell, but he gave people scathing looks. Genevieve didn't take silence well. She was more of a get angry and yell type of person. She didn't take passive aggressiveness too well.

He put the dishes in the dishwasher and turned to watch them. Genevieve always had a sketchbook with her. When she wasn't running the cash register or cleaning up the tables, she was sketching in hopes she would one day get into someone's design studio and help design clothes. She had already designed a couple of t-shirts for the staff at the bakeries to wear.

She had stepped into the kitchen when Junho had stepped out to talk with Woo Bin and in that fifteen minute time span, she was already angry at Yoo Jun. But the quiet man had no idea why. So Junho took pity on him and bumped him from the kitchen for a break.

"That man…" She went off on a tangent that really shouldn't be typed. "He is so arrogant."

"He has room to be. He's one of the best pastry chefs I have ever met. The only problem he has is he can't work well with women. It's why we haven't hired a female pastry chef here. He's kind of a jerk. Junsu calls him Yoo Babo, or Yoo Jerk," he said as he put the crème horns and cookies on a tray to go out in the display.

"Did he study with you?"

Junho nodded. "Yes, but he was at the bottom of the class because of his snarky attitude."

She blew air out of her nose. "What did Woo Bin want?"

He sighed as he walked out front and opened the display case. Cool air swamped him, sending goose bumps over his skin. "He wants us to go to a party tonight for Francesco's new show. He says everyone will be there."

"Will it be a fancy party? I don't have a particularly fancy dress?"

He shook his head. "Probably not. The DeArgints hate dressing up and the kids will be there so it'll be dressy casual. Yi Jeong and Ga Eul will be dressed nice since it's their gallery and some of the guests, but the guest of honor won't be so don't worry too much."

"Should we bring anything?"

"It'll be catered if I know Yi Jeong. And security will be light since it's a public function." He looked at her. "It'll be fine. No one will get into a fist fight. We're not like that unless you attack us first. Then we retaliate. So head on home and get ready. I'll meet you at the gallery tonight."

He watched her gather her stuff and head out. This was going to be an interesting night because of all that was going on.

(*(*(*(*(*(*

Junho pulled at his collar and sighed. Just like he thought. Genevieve was a typical woman. She was late. He gave her credit that she didn't know Seoul very well but she should have left earlier.

"Sorry, sorry!" He turned at the sound of her voice. She was dressed in a knee length black dress and her hair was piled atop her head. "I got turned around!"

"You know Eri would have started singing "Sorry, Sorry" by Super Junior," he said as she took his arm and they entered together.

The place was lit like a Christmas tree. Yi Jeong had used his rigging to show Francesco's stained glass pictures. His pottery and paintings were set and hung on varying sized podiums. Everything was tastefully done and that made the others happy.

The whole thing was opened to the public so there were plenty of people milling about. There was a light murmur that was barely louder than the music playing. As soon as they walked in, people started talking to them. Junho spotted his brother across the way and waved at him. Junsu smiled brightly then turned his attention back to the two people with him. That had to be McCall and her brother.

"Is that Ga Eul?" Genevieve asked. She had met Yi Jeong as soon as they had arrived from France because he had come over, but his wife had been at work at that time.

Junho's gaze focused on the heavily pregnant woman on Yi Jeong's arm and nodded. "Yep, that's her. She's due in two months but everyone thinks she'll have it early because of how big she is. I personally think it's twins."

"Of course you would." He laughed at the face she made. He couldn't help he was biased.

Francesco stepped in front of where his family was gathered and opened his mouth. He said a lot of words of thanks to his family and friends, especially Yi Jeong who had put it all on. He thanked his sister and brother-in-law for putting up with him for the next month due to the consecutive shows, but it also meant he was going to see his new niece or nephew. Obviously Eri and Woo Bin hadn't told him they were twins.

He opened the bidding for the silent auction with a sweep his hand and turned to talk to a woman on his left. Woo Bin picked up his son and started through the crowd with Eri following close behind him. Ahn Na was still with her uncle so she was in good hands. Without a word, the other couple followed them. They stopped right in front of Junsu just as Junho and Genevieve emerged from the crowd.

"Sorry we dragged you here. Francesco wanted all of our friends to be here so he would get more exposure. Naturally we thought of you," Woo Bin said. He juggled Bin Ji then whispered to him. The little boy settled down then rested his head on his dad's shoulder. "Let me introduce you to everyone. These people are So Yi Jeong and Cha Ga Eul. They own this gallery, or rather Yi Jeong's family does. The people with Junsu are McCall and Matthew Stanley. McCall works for the Starbucks down the street. She helped Junsu get started on the second bakery while Junho was out of town."

"The woman beside Junho is Genevieve Pepet. She's a fashion consultant turned amateur patisserie by my brother. I'm not quite sure how she got roped into this but I blame Francesco," Eri said.

"Don't blame me. Blame the idiot who cut his hand," Francesco countered staring threateningly at Junho. The man being insulted narrowed his eyes and stared at him, promising retribution if given the chance. Francesco made a face. "But things have gone their way so far so I don't blame him too much."

Eri stared at her brother. "You're the one who broke up with her, not the other way around."

He waved a finger in front of his face. "Shh! Don't broadcast my personal life!"

That started an argument right in the middle of the showcase. Woo Bin and Yi Jeong shared a look that clearly said they were staying out of it. Genevieve knew all too well what would happen if she stopped that fight so she and McCall just waited. The twins were too caught up in it to even say anything. Junsu and Junho stared at each other then back at the arguing siblings. This was a new side to their noona that they had never seen.

In the end it was the children who stopped the fight. Ahn Na grabbed Francesco's face and pinched his cheeks until he made a fish face. Bin Ji tapped Eri in the face and shook his head while saying no Mama. Woo Bin laughed then hugged his son closely.

Junho watched his brother turn and followed his actions at the sound of loud voices. Another group of people had showed up at the art show. Min Ho and Jae Kyung caused a commotion everywhere they went, but this time it was different. Min Ho seemed mad. His face was red and his mouth was drawn in a tight line. Jae Kyung didn't look too thrilled either. She was holding her clutch in a white knuckled grip.

"What's going on?" Yi Jeong asked as they stepped into their circle.

"My sister has the press here. She's looking to start something," Min Ho said.

Junho felt the scowl on his face as Woo Bin licked his teeth at the same time as Eri's face closed off. Yi Jeong motioned to someone from security, but it wasn't going to do any good because it was an open event. Francesco didn't believe in closed events. The general public was the best ones to get artists and anyone who wanted to be famous off the ground. He always kept it light and fun.

Eri put a hand on his arm and shook her head. Yi Jeong gave her a quizzical look. Woo Bin handed Bin Ji to one of the staff as Ahn Na went to Ga Eul and the woman left them. Francesco filled in the space Ga Eul normally occupied and they waited.

Genevieve crossed her arms. She had seen this one too many times and knew what was about to happen. "Who pissed them off?"

Junho couldn't help the little laugh that escaped him. He had forgotten she had known the DeArgints long before any of them. She knew what they were capable of when riled.

"Min Ho, the guy with the really red face at the moment, has a twin sister. She's been causing issues within Woo Bin's family. She claims that he's illegitimate. Woo Bin and his father are very cunning so they took away his title as heir and put Eri as heir to the company. Since then Eri has been not only working against Min Hae quietly, but she's been changing the face of the company even more than Woo Bin has. It's pretty funny to watch," he explained.

Genevieve was going to speak some more but she was cut off as a gorgeous Asian woman parted the crowd like Moses parting the Red Sea. She had a handsome man beside her that was obviously her husband. She wore a smirk that said she thought she was going to win whatever she had come to do. The Frenchwoman scowled at the dishonest look the other woman wore and secretly hoped Eri killed her. But not really because killing someone was illegal. Maybe maiming her would work. Yes, maiming that was it.

Eri moved suddenly, drawing the group of nine's attention. She took Woo Bin's face in her hands and whispered to him. His hands instinctively made their way to her waist as he nodded. The kiss they shared was searing that everyone looked away. Even Junho who was used to their affection had to turn away. He stuck his finger in his mouth and gagged at Genevieve. He heard Eri pat Woo Bin's face again and turn. She was not happy and when that happened he was always nervous about what she would say.

Min Hae and Tae Min stepped right in front of them. Tae Min didn't want to be there. It was all over his face. Woo Bin was his boss and he hated going against him, but Min Hae was sneaky. She had information on his father that she could leak out at any time. When he had married her, he thought she had been a good woman. Now he knew she was the classic hateful witch he saw on dramas.

"If I could, I would ask you to leave," Yi Jeong started. "But it's an open event. I can't rightly do that since it would leave a horrible scar on my company."

Min Hae smiled, but the warmth didn't reach her eyes. Min Ho and the twins sighed then exchanged annoyed glances. They were way too used to all of this and were getting a little tired of it all. They moved their hands, signing what they wanted to do to Min Hae. Min Ho nodded his approval and focused on his irritating sister again.

"We've just come to see what the illegitimate heir of Song Construction is doing. Shouldn't he be at home taking care of his children?" she asked pleasantly.

Woo Bin smiled coolly. "They're here. Shall I go get them for you?"

"I would love to know why you are interrupting a perfectly peaceful evening." Francesco asked. He hadn't been a part of the first encounter a few months ago so he didn't know who Min Hae was and what she had been doing. Eri had kept that from him for as long as she could. "Who is the former heir of Song Construction?"

"Woo Bin is," Eri replied. Her brother turned to her. "Mrs. Cho Min Hae has been causing issues the last few months by bringing up Woo Bin's legitimacy. So we answered by removing Woo Bin from succession and put me as heir."

The artist huffed up. "You didn't tell me this."

"I couldn't chance you opening your mouth. You have a loose tongue. I needed time."

"Time to do what?"

Eri ignored him, and he pouted like a child. Junho knew he shouldn't laugh but he couldn't help it. "Min Ho, did you know that Tae Min isn't your sister's first?"

Min Ho frowned as he thought over what she had just said. When it clicked, he stared at his sister. Min Hae had sworn up and down to their parents that she hadn't been doing anything with any of her boyfriends. Eri knew something. He wasn't sure he wanted to know, but his brother-in-law sure did.

Junho suddenly knew what this was all about. Woo Bin had said that afternoon that Eri had some information on Min Hae that could ruin her. If she had that information here tonight, this whole thing could turn into a nasty blood feud and Min Ho would be right in the middle.

"What is she talking about, Min Hae?" he asked. His wife refused to meet his gaze so he turned it to his boss. "What are you talking about?"

Woo Bin produced a folded piece of paper and handed it to him. Eri actually looked concerned as the man opened the paper. "I found this as I was searching for things to use against her, but the only thing I could find would hurt you worse," she said. "It's all there. I would have brought it to you in private but I'm sure she wouldn't have let me in the house."

Tae Min looked at her for a long moment then looked down at the paper. Slowly his face contorted into one of utter shock and hurt. He looked at his wife with a face of utter disbelief. From their first encounter at the office, Eri had always thought Tae Min was a good man. He had always been kind and respectful to her but was always pushed around by his wife.

"What is all of this?" he demanded. "You better have a good explanation."

Min Ho stepped forward. Even though he couldn't stand his sister, he'd always been partial to Tae Min. "What is it?"

His brother-in-law turned towards him. "She's had an abortion before. It was a month before we met."

Junsu grabbed his brother's wrist in a tight grip and Junho returned it. They had known it was bad, but they never imagined it had been this bad. They knew that their parents had tried to have another child but had had a miscarriage. They had even looked into adopting but it had been too expensive.

Junho looked at Eri. She couldn't have children and relied on the adoption to extend their family. Here was a woman who had given up her baby before it even had a chance to be born. He started boiling.

Min Ho knew what it meant too. The younger twin stared at his older sister. "You could have had the baby and given it up for adoption! Do you know how hard it is for women who can't have children? All they can do is rely on adoption! And you killed a child that could have gone to anyone in this room!"

"Do you know that a woman's chances of ever having children are diminished when she has an abortion?" Francesco asked. "There's a possibility you'll never have children because you killed one. You just deprived you and your husband of the chance of ever having any children."

"She just deprived herself," Tae Min said as he crumpled up the paper. Everyone looked at her. "I won't live with a liar. I have never lied to you even if I wanted to. I have gone along with all of your harebrained schemes because of what you know about my dad, but no more. I want a divorce, and before you say anything, my dad went to jail because he embezzled money from his company. Until I got a job with Song Construction, no one wanted to hire me. But since I've worked here, no one has said a single thing."

"We don't judge here," Woo Bin said.

Eri stepped forward and held out her hand. Genevieve silently cheered, but her fist moved without her conscience thought. Physical touch was always out where Eri was concerned, but she was offering her hand to someone she didn't know. She had grown in the years since Genevieve had met her.

Tae Min took her hand, but before they could Min Hae ripped their hands apart and stepped into Eri's personal space. Eri lifted her head, and dark brown eyes stared into golden ones. Francesco started to move but Yi Jeong and Woo Bin put their hands on his shoulders and shook their heads.

"Don't touch my husband," Min Hae tried to threaten.

But Eri wasn't having any of it. "I used to feel sorry for Tae Min but now I feel sorry for you. You better have a decent lawyer because you better believe he will. Once he's through with you, you won't be able to show you face in Seoul. Oh, and consider yourself fired from your position with Lee Bo Lim. I talked to her this morning and she doesn't want a woman who can't respect an unborn child designing her clothes. It looks like you'll have to go home to Mama and Papa with your tail between your legs."

"Other than giving Tae Min the best divorce attorney, I will be resuming my position as heir to Song Construction," Woo Bin advised. Yi Jeong snorted at the happiness that laced his friend's voice and was elbowed in the ribs.

"Yi, you can now have her escorted out. I'm sure she won't be able to walk straight if we leave her alone," Eri said as she turned to go back to her family.

Like usual, Min Hae wasn't done. She threw her clutch to the ground and ran towards the retreating woman. She was instantly intercepted by her brother and the twins. Min Ho caught her by the head, thumb and middle finger pressed into her temples.

"You're making an even bigger mistake," he warned. "There's no way you're going to beat us. Tae Min has now been brought into the fold. You can't touch him. Now go home, pack your things, and go back home. Nothing you can say is going to make a difference. My family is going to slaughter you if you try."

"You're not part of F4. You'll never be," she argued.

"I beg to differ," Yi Jeong countered. Two security guards followed him. "Please escort Ms. Cho out, and put her name on the list of people never allowed to set foot in the gallery."

Genevieve was loud when she whispered yes, but Junho could deny her. He felt the same way. Hopefully it would be the last they saw of Min Hae for a very long while, but something said they weren't done with her. That was very disheartening.


	8. Chapter 8

Author's Note: This is the final chapter in this story. I tried my hardest to drag it out but Junho just didn't want to work with me. So here it is. Sorry it's taken so long.

(*(*(*(*(*(*(*(*(

Junho wiped the sweat off his brow after he shoved a third tray of pastries into the oven. Today was the day the new bakery had opened and he had been busy since early that morning.

He had come in about four and started preparations on the pastries that were going to be sold. They had decided that each store was going to have its own distinct pastry and coffee based on the customers' preferences. They were in charge as they always were.

When he had walked in, he had first seen the murals on the three walls. Eri and Yi Jeong had once again outdone themselves. He could feel the love and warmth in those walls because it had been his family who had given him this opportunity. They were very valuable and there was nothing he would do to change that.

Since the night of the party, he had been worried that Cho Min Hae would retaliate against the new store. But her soon to be ex-husband was a force to be reckoned with it seemed. He had stonewalled her in court, claiming improper and impurity upon marriage. He wanted the money he had invested in her paid back in full. He was thoroughly humiliating her just as she had humiliated him by dishonesty. Everyone in F4 was very happy with their new friend that Woo Bin had given him a substantial raise. Last they had heard from Min Ho, Min Hae had gone back to their parents' house and was trying to find work, but it was hard with her slanderous reputation.

In a turn of events, Eri had done the unthinkable that had everyone confused as to whose side she was really on. She had left early one morning, leaving the twins with her in-laws. No one had heard from her the entire day, but around dinner time she had suddenly showed up at the bakery where everyone was gathered. With her had been Min Hae. Tae Min had stared at his ex-wife with disdain, but Eri had twisted his ear in reprimand.

It had been Ji Hoo who had asked calmly what it was all about. Eri had explained that even though the woman was hateful and spiteful, that she deserved forgiveness. Eri had extended her hand to her. Min Hae obviously didn't want anything to do with F4 because she still thought they had ruined her marriage, but without any other job opportunities she didn't have an option. She was going to be working with her brother and Eri at Yi Jeong's shop with Min Ho being her immediate supervisor. She wasn't happy about it but she couldn't deny them.

It was always Eri that had the weirdest but most effective ideas. In this case Min Hae had been doing very well. She even stopped by the other bakery before going to work to pick up coffee. She and her brother fought constantly but they were twins and bound to have it out.

Junho watched his brother smile at a cute teenager as she came to buy coffee and cake. Since he had been home, he had watched his younger brother's relationship bloom with McCall and Matthew. The two had become nearly inseparable even when McCall had gone back to Starbucks. Matthew was in school every day so he came to the bakery to study. The bakery was even livelier with him.

The door to the bakery opened and the entire family flooded in. Eleven adults and six kids filled up three long tables. Without even talking to them, Junsu put in their orders then went back to filling other orders at the tables.

Having the family here meant everything. They had their own lives, their own families, and their own worries, but when it came to each other, they always dropped everything and jumped into action. They protected each other and did what had to be done to keep themselves together.

Junho watched them briefly from his hidey hole in the kitchen. Like usual, Eri and Yi Jeong were covered in clay and paint. They were getting ready for a joint showing and had been working for days on everything. It was a relief to see them covered in art supplies than wearing business attire.

He was just frosting the cupcakes when the back door opened. He glanced over to see Genevieve come in. She was jumping from foot to foot like she was excited about something. He finished his task then turned to her.

She was dressed in business casual and had been since she had been offered Min Hae's former position as secretary to a fashion magazine. She had started as soon as the court proceedings had started and she loved every minute of it. She had been so busy that she hadn't been able to help him start the bakery, but he had forgiven her because it was something she loved to do.

"What is it?" he asked as he licked his finger.

"You're never going to believe this!" she spouted in French. She was slowly learning Korea, but luckily her boss knew English and they could converse.

"Eri hired Min Hae. I can believe anything."

She tilted her head at the thought. He had a point. "My designs were chosen as part of next season. I'm finally going to be a fashion designer!"

"That's great! The others are in there if you wanted to tell them."

"Of course I do! But I couldn't have done any of this if I hadn't worked for you. At first I thought it was going to be awkward because we'd fall for each other, but now I know we're just really good friends. There's no need to complicate it. If you ever find a girl who piques your interest, she has to go through me first."

He laughed. "Get in line. I think Eri and my mother have first dibs on that."

He nodded his head outside and watched her disappear. She was right. He had been afraid that she would fall for him just like everyone in his family had fallen for their girl, but instead they had something much stronger. They were now friends much like Eri and Yi Jeong, and he wouldn't change that. Soul mates didn't have to be in a romantic relationship.

He finished his work and passed it off to the patisserie he had hired. He grabbed himself a cup of coffee and went to his friends. McCall and Matthew had joined the group and were watching the conversation. Genevieve was recounting everything as she held Ahn Na.

"So you'll be featured next season?" Yi Jeong asked.

Genevieve nodded. "There will be a showing on April 5. I have to have eight designs ready by the end of March and two backups. That's not the issue. My specialty is men's clothing. I need men to star in the show." She caught the look Eri and Woo Bin shared. "What? What is it?"

"Do you know the boy bands Super Junior and BIGBANG?" Eri asked.

"You're always listening to "Superman" and "Fantastic Baby". Of course I know. Why?"

"I took her to a Super Junior concert for our anniversary. She did a couple of pieces for Siwon and Ryeowook. She met BIGBANG a few months back, and she's good friends with G Dragon. I'm sure she can convince them to walk in the show as special guests."

Genevieve's mouth fell open as she turned to her friend. "Would you do that? Would you get them to walk in my show?"

Eri shrugged. "I can try, but both just released or are getting ready to release an album. It will be hard to find time for them. If it doesn't work, you can't get mad at me."

Junsu leaned forward. "Don't you have a picture of Leetuek holding Bin Ji?"

"It's not Leeteuk, but Eunhyuk and Donghae who held Bin Ji. It was Leeteuk who held Ahn Na. How can you know the members of JYJ but not Super Junior?"

"Hey, we share names with a member of JYJ and his brother. It's easy to remember."

"Xiah Junsu's brother changed his name so you're half right," Woo Bin corrected.

Everyone laughed at the face Junsu pulled. It was at that moment Junho was glad he was part of this family. They weren't perfect and they argued all the time, but when the time came, they were always by his side. He didn't hate the way he felt before he met them, but he knew it made him a better person. Just like chocolate was bitter sweet so were his memories.

THE END


End file.
